Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199271597
- eISBN:
- 9780191709234
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271597.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, UK Politics
Although there is no doubt that the constitution has been significantly reformed since the election of New Labour in May 1997 the degree to which these reforms have altered the nature of democracy in ...
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Although there is no doubt that the constitution has been significantly reformed since the election of New Labour in May 1997 the degree to which these reforms have altered the nature of democracy in the United Kingdom remains highly contested. A major problem within this debate is that it has become polarized around a binary distinction between power‐sharing and power‐hoarding models of democracy when the contemporary situation is actually far more complex. This book draws upon theories and methods from comparative political analysis in order to argue and then demonstrate three central and inter‐related arguments. Firstly, that the distinctive element of ‘New’ Labour's approach to constitutional engineering is not that it has shifted the nature of democracy in the United Kingdom from one model to another but has instead sought to apply different models at the periphery and core: bi‐constitutionality. Secondly, that contemporary evidence of both increasing levels of public disengagement from conventional politics and falling levels of public trust in politicians, political institutions and political processes originate from the ‘expectations gap’. This ‘gap’ is created by the process of political competition artificially increases public expectations; only for these expectations to be dashed as the elected party either seeks to renege upon certain pre‐election commitments or fails to achieve them. Finally, democracy in the United Kingdom is currently drifting. The old rules do not appear to suit the new game, and yet the government continues to insist that the old rules still apply. The critical challenge for any future government, of any political complexion, will be to articulate a new form of constitutional morality with the capacity to clarify exactly what its reforms in the sphere of constitutional reform and democratic renewal are seeking to achieve.Less
Although there is no doubt that the constitution has been significantly reformed since the election of New Labour in May 1997 the degree to which these reforms have altered the nature of democracy in the United Kingdom remains highly contested. A major problem within this debate is that it has become polarized around a binary distinction between power‐sharing and power‐hoarding models of democracy when the contemporary situation is actually far more complex. This book draws upon theories and methods from comparative political analysis in order to argue and then demonstrate three central and inter‐related arguments. Firstly, that the distinctive element of ‘New’ Labour's approach to constitutional engineering is not that it has shifted the nature of democracy in the United Kingdom from one model to another but has instead sought to apply different models at the periphery and core: bi‐constitutionality. Secondly, that contemporary evidence of both increasing levels of public disengagement from conventional politics and falling levels of public trust in politicians, political institutions and political processes originate from the ‘expectations gap’. This ‘gap’ is created by the process of political competition artificially increases public expectations; only for these expectations to be dashed as the elected party either seeks to renege upon certain pre‐election commitments or fails to achieve them. Finally, democracy in the United Kingdom is currently drifting. The old rules do not appear to suit the new game, and yet the government continues to insist that the old rules still apply. The critical challenge for any future government, of any political complexion, will be to articulate a new form of constitutional morality with the capacity to clarify exactly what its reforms in the sphere of constitutional reform and democratic renewal are seeking to achieve.
Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199271597
- eISBN:
- 9780191709234
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271597.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, UK Politics
The ‘Blair paradox’ reflects not a simple shift in orientations (i.e. from majoritarian power‐hoarding to consensual power‐sharing) but a multifaceted attempt to inject a new meta‐constitutional ...
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The ‘Blair paradox’ reflects not a simple shift in orientations (i.e. from majoritarian power‐hoarding to consensual power‐sharing) but a multifaceted attempt to inject a new meta‐constitutional orientation, in terms of a set of core values, principles, and assumptions about the distribution of power and the relationship between political actors, within the existing version (i.e. bi‐constitutionalism).Less
The ‘Blair paradox’ reflects not a simple shift in orientations (i.e. from majoritarian power‐hoarding to consensual power‐sharing) but a multifaceted attempt to inject a new meta‐constitutional orientation, in terms of a set of core values, principles, and assumptions about the distribution of power and the relationship between political actors, within the existing version (i.e. bi‐constitutionalism).
Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199271597
- eISBN:
- 9780191709234
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271597.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, UK Politics
There is no such thing as the party system in the United Kingdom but an embryonic multi‐levelled hierarchy of party systems. The existence of different party systems, founded and perpetuated by ...
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There is no such thing as the party system in the United Kingdom but an embryonic multi‐levelled hierarchy of party systems. The existence of different party systems, founded and perpetuated by electoral systems that have been designed to inculcate a quite different value‐set, raises questions about the long‐term stability of the polity, while also providing the first empirical evidence of a bi‐constitutional statecraft.Less
There is no such thing as the party system in the United Kingdom but an embryonic multi‐levelled hierarchy of party systems. The existence of different party systems, founded and perpetuated by electoral systems that have been designed to inculcate a quite different value‐set, raises questions about the long‐term stability of the polity, while also providing the first empirical evidence of a bi‐constitutional statecraft.
Matthew Flinders
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199271597
- eISBN:
- 9780191709234
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271597.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, UK Politics
The logic of legal constitutionalism promotes the role of judges as external regulators of political behaviour. It therefore seeks to increase the degree of constitutional rigidity by seeking to ...
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The logic of legal constitutionalism promotes the role of judges as external regulators of political behaviour. It therefore seeks to increase the degree of constitutional rigidity by seeking to locate some basic rights, values, or principles beyond the reach of elected politicians. New Labour sought to embrace elements of legal constitutionalism while maintaining a ‘political constitution’. The outcome is a confused and anomalous element of the broader bi‐constitutionality argument.Less
The logic of legal constitutionalism promotes the role of judges as external regulators of political behaviour. It therefore seeks to increase the degree of constitutional rigidity by seeking to locate some basic rights, values, or principles beyond the reach of elected politicians. New Labour sought to embrace elements of legal constitutionalism while maintaining a ‘political constitution’. The outcome is a confused and anomalous element of the broader bi‐constitutionality argument.
